When Luke Jessop was a boy, few things excited him more than seeing his grandfather Ken's truck coming down the driveway of his family property in Dunsborough.
He knew the truck held treasures galore - gold from the rivers of the Blue Mountains, topaz from the Central Harts Range and sapphires from central Queensland - prospected by his grandfather, as he travelled around Australia visiting his four children.
At 15 Luke started joining his grandfather on his sapphire fossicking trips and he eventually took over his two leases in the Queensland town of Sapphire when Ken passed away in 2010.
Luke is still making his annual pilgrimage to Queensland but now he's turning the sapphires he mines into timeless jewellery pieces which he will showcase for the first time at the Perth Upmarket this weekend.
With his stunning works created under the name Saltwater Sapphires Luke is on the cusp of turning his love for precious gems into a full-time business.
In the meantime, he is honing his jewellery making skills with Yallingup's very own John Miller Design, a far cry from his previous line of work in carpentry and panel beating.
"I bounced between a lot of career paths before I found what suited me best, but after completing a one-day ring making course at the Fremantle Arts Centre, as suggested by my fiancé, I was well and truly hooked," Luke said.
"There's something special about transforming a raw and rough material into something beautiful.
But, if I'm being honest, the actual finding of the gemstones is at the top of the fun list."
The name Saltwater Sapphires was chosen to capture the story of the sapphires coming from the desert in Queensland to Luke's home in Yallingup.
"The cuttlefish that I use for much of my castings create a pattern that looks like the ripples you see in the sand under the sea, and of course many of the stones reflect the colours of the sea," he said.
"Cuttlefish casting and hammer forging have long since faded into the histories of jewellery making but they are two truly beautiful and unique practices that can't be replicated with modern techniques without compromising the end result."
Perth Upmarket Director, Erin Madeley, says a robust application process means only the best of WA designers are invited to showcase their work at the popular quarterly design market and Luke is deserving of his debut.
"Luke's passion and eye for detail are evident in his beautiful pieces and we are excited to welcome him to the Perth Upmarket family," she said.
"We love having retailers from regional WA adding to the eclectic mix at the event and because Luke mines his sapphires and then creates his jewellery by hand, he can share the unique story of every piece he makes with purchasers."
Find Saltwater Sapphires at Perth Upmarket on Sunday, 24 March, 10 am - 4 pm at Winthrop Hall, UWA. For more visit perthupmarket.com.au
